
1h THE STORY OF CACTUS 
EEE 
little of this is good for animals at all times because of the purgative salts 
they contain and a New Mexico sheep-rancher always has burnt-off cacti around 
at lambing time because the ewes do not get enough exercise at this time and 
the loss of lambs are reduced. 
The finest scale remover for boiler tubes is made out of the Giant Cactus 
of Arizona but this practice was stopped by the State, as all the cacti would 
have been cut down in just five years, and what a loss that would have been 
to the scenic beauty of that part of our country. 
Fried cactus is quite palatable. As much so as egg plant and personally 
we like it. In the spring, the desert is covered by Mexicans with baskets and 
buckets gathering the small new pads for salad. They fry it, in butter or lard, 
and mix green peppers with it. We think it is too hot for our taste but when 
fixed with tomatoes it is quite good. 
The seed pods (75) are the main source of food supply and in every market 
in Mexico, they are sold as food and are now being shipped to Northern 
markets. Jam, (101) jelly, and preserves are made from the seed pods, and 
the Indians have made wine from seed pods of the Opuntias for untold 
generations. 
The fruits as we have said, are all good to eat and in each part of the 
country have different names. The fruit of the Prickley-pears is called Tunas, 
and most all the Echinocereus (28) species are called Pitayas. The small 
pepper-like berries are called Chilitos. These mostly are from the Neomam- 
millarias and many of the berries are called garambullas, regardless of size, 
throughout Mexico. A ripe Tuna cooked into a pan of applesauce will give 
it a very fine pink color. 
The Papago Indians of Arizona gather tons of the fruit of the giant cactus 
and remove the seeds and then press it into cakes and make it into jam. The 
seed they sell to traders to sell as bird-seed and we know one seedman who 
bought twelve hundred pounds in the fall of 1938. 
We will let Mrs. (Clara) Leasure (101) tell you how she prepare the 
cacti for our table. 
Cactus Jelly is made from the fruit of the cactus commonly called Prickly 
Pear. There are many varieties of the prickly pear but the one that produces 
the best fruits for jelly is named Opuntia lindheimeri. (75) The fruits on 
these plants, when ripe, are a deep rich purple and are about the size of an 
average hen’s egg. To make the jelly, the tunas or pears are picked before 
they are fully ripened. To remove the skins and spines, the pears are scalded 
with boiling water and peeled. The pears are then cut into small pieces and 
boiled for twenty minutes. They are then poured into a bag and the juice 
drained. The juice is measured and an equal amount of sugar added. This 
is placed on the stove and cooked until it jells. It is then removed from the 
stove and poured into glasses. Sometimes apple or lemon juice is added, but 
many prefer the rich flavor of the cactus pears without adulteration. In making 
preserves, the same initial procedure is used but the seeds are removed before 
placing pears on the stove. Then the flesh of the pears are diced and the pre- 
serving is carried on as with other fruits. The seeds not having been cooked, 
may be dried in the sun for at'least two weeks and then planted. 
COLORING 
The juice from the cactus pears may be boiled down to the consistency of 
syrup and bottled. This serves as a fine coloring for confections and icings. 
A few drops make a delicate pink while a spoonful will make a deep red, a 
range of shades may be obtained by adding more or less coloring. A pear 
in a pan of stewing applies will give a cherry red color and a tasty flavor. 
The cactus syrup also may color and flavor ice cream. This is called Tuna 
Meil. 
CACTUS CANDY 
Cactus candy is made from an entirely different variety of cactus. The barrel 
or fishhook cactus is used. The correct name for this variety of cactus is Fero- 
cactus wislizent. (31) The plants have to be large in size before they can be 
used for candy, because only the center is used. This is cut out of the heart 
a 
70 Echinocereus rosei. 73 Echinocereus ctenoides. 
71 Echinocereus viridiflorus. 74 Echinocereus fendleri. 
72 Opuntia tenuispina. 75 Gathering Tunas. 
